Discordant tunes over Buhari’s Lagos visit

TOPE MUSOWO reports that deafening comments by Lagos residents have trailed President Muhammadu Buhari’s official visit to Lagos state, last week
While Governor Akinwumi Ambode and his party are still celebrating the 2- workiing visit of President Muhammadu Buhari to Lagos to commission the newly constructed ultra-modern Ikeja Bus Terminal and attend APC national leader’s (Bola Amed Tinubu) birthday colloquium, many Lagos residents are not just happy with the visit which disrupted economic activities, people’s private business with major roads blocked and holiday declared.
Lagosians lampooned the state governor and President Buhari, for what they called celebration of frivolity and mediocrity.
They could not understand why economic activities were paralysed for two days in the nation’s leading commercial centre, just because of President Buhari was coming to commission a Bus Terminal, a project that may not attract the presence of a mayor in other civilized climes, they said.
The entire major roads in Ikeja and other parts of the city, including that leading to the Muritala Mohammed Airport were blocked, people travelling could not go, flights were cancelled because of the visit.

Lost Respect for Ambode Many said they have now lost their respect for Ambode whom they once respected because of his academic background.
They expressed disappointment with the governor who should know better as an accountant and FCA holder did not mind the economic implications of shutting down the city of Lagos just because his godfather is celebrating birthday and a non performing president is visiting.
They lambasted the governor and his party APC, alleging that he went as far as Oyo and Ogun to rent crowd with tax payers money to welcome President Buhari.
Part of the news making the round is that the party was trying to mislead the public by circulating in the social media the picture of the sea of heads at the world renowned Evangelist’s (Raeinhard Bonnkie) crusade, as the crowd that gathered to welcome Buhari in Lagos.
The governor allegedly goofed recommissioning the Eko Atlantic City, that was commissioned by President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, during his tenure in office.
For this, Lagosians say smacks of deception and hypocrisy which is fast becoming the stock in trade of the APC -led administration.
According to Lagosians it was a national embarrassment added to the drama of Naomi Campbell.

Lagosians Speak Sola Solanke, “I used to respect Ambode as a lettered person with FCA but with this he has done I lost my respect for him, if he could shut down Lagos to commission a Bus Stop, if he builds an airport then he would bring Jesus Christ to commission it and we would have to leave Lagos for him because this may require three months holiday”.
To another resident, “It is only in a backward nation like Nigeria that economic activities will be paralysed just because a non performing president is visiting “.
Mr Uche Mbagwu, a media consultant said; “You can predict the future of a nation by his priority, our president is in Lagos to attend a party (colloquium) while 11 soldiers who laid down their lives for this country were being hurried.
Same way he was attending a wedding Feature party in February with 22 state governors and 10 serving ministers while people being killed in some parts of the country without seeing reason to if not for the public criticisms that informed his belated visit, this government does not have the interest of Nigerians at heart”.
Meanwhile, Ambode’ s supporters were quick to answer those who are criticising the governor and calling such a world class project an ordinary Bus Stop, they reeled out all the state of the heart facilities that comes with this Ultra-modern Bus Terminal.
All these facilities does not seem to move Mr Fabamise Odewale, a civil engineer who said, “I have heard their defence that it is illiterate people that would call what was commissioned as ordinary Bus Stop, they said the Bus terminus has ATM gallery, free WiFi, supermarket, modern toilet facilities and so on, and I ask them, has those facilities now turned it to an airport or underground train, in the 21st century when other countries are commissioning modern train station, tube, modern airport, modern transport system, we are celebrating a Bus Terminus, is it not disgraceful that the same man who cancelled Lagos light rail project for ethnic reasons 33 years ago is now being invited to commission a Bus Stop and we have to shut down the entire city for him?” He asked.
In a rather another bitter tone, another resident recounted his ordeal, “I was going for an important business appointment but I missed my flight because the road to the airport had been blocked, though the airline rescheduled the flight for the second day but it was too late for me because the people I was going to meet did not understand why the road to the airport could be blocked because the President is visiting a city, these are the people condemning Jonathan then when he came to Lagos and all police men were deployed to guard him why robbers took advantage of that to rob in Lekki, now tell the difference between them, only God knows how many patients on emergency lost their lives in Lagos that day because they could not get to the hospital on time due to road blocked.
“We need to stop this madness in Nigeria because I don’t see this happening in other civilised climes.
That we must always waste money that is enough to do another project to commission the one we have done.
Our political leaders people are taking advantage of ignorance of the populace who roll out drums to celebrate politicians for performing their statutory duties, as if they are doing these projects with their own money, it is criminal for them not to have done these in the first place and they always want us to praise them for using tax payers’ money for what it is meant for, enough of this in Nigeria” he said.

 

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